Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost10:00 am Worship

Sunday, September 25

This week gives us several challenging scriptures about folks trying (or not trying) to do the right thing in hard times. In their own way, all of our scriptures for Sunday ask us, "When you are surrounded by stress and difficulties on all sides, how do you stay focused on your values and what really matters to you?"

Join us at 10:00 am this Sunday for worship as Pastor David wrestles with that question, then be back here from 3 to 5 pm to live out your values with Stop Hunger Now, where we'll pack thousands of meals to feed the hungry!

This Week

Hands-On Sunday Project — Stop Hunger Now

Sunday, September 25

Please join us on Sunday, September 25 for our 5th Stop Hunger Now meal packing event to help feed children with limited resources around the world. We need about 80-100 volunteers to pack 20,000 meals for hungry children around the world. Volunteers set up and take down packaging stations and equipment, fill bins with raw ingredients, scoop ingredients into meal bags, weigh and seal the bags, box and stack them on pallets, and load the pallets and equipment onto a truck. We have jobs for people of all ages (4+) and abilities; child care will be provided for those too young to help.

Interested in helping? Sign-up online or in the narthex after church on Sunday.

Welcoming Warmth: Coat Drive for Thrive DC

Sunday, September 11 - Sunday, October 2

The Board of Outreach and Social Justice is partnering with Thrive DC again to provide coats and winter items for homeless in DC. We are collecting earlier this year so start looking through your closets now! Do you have any used coats, hats, scarves, gloves, blankets or sleeping bags that could warm someone in need this winter? A collection box will be available in the Narthex from Sunday, September 11 through Sunday, October 2. We will make our delivery of donated items to Thrive DC in early November for their first distribution of the winter.

Next Week and Beyond

Monday Morning Bible Study

Monday, September 26

Monday Morning Bible Study led by Richard Davidson is studying Islam this year. Please join us at 10:00 am in Room 8 on Monday mornings.

Food Pantry Reminder

Sunday, October 2

Next Sunday and every Communion Sunday (normally the first Sunday of every month), we invite your gifts of non-expired, non-perishable staple food items, which are placed in our church’s FISH (For Immediate Sympathetic Help) pantry and used to help the hungry in our community. Food is distributed by FISH; to local charities including Food for Others, Alternative House, and Thrive DC; and to individuals who ask for assistance from the pastoral staff.

Individual pre-packed bags of food are prepared for use by FISH and church staff to respond to immediate needs. A bag of food includes: two boxes of cereal, one can of fruit, two cans of vegetables, one canned meat product, two boxes of pasta, one jar/can of pasta sauce, dry milk, and a jar of peanut butter. These items and paper or reusable grocery bags to pack them in are always appreciated. Thank you for your support of the pantry.

Dismantling the New Jim Crow Panel Discussion and Dinner

Sunday, October 2

Building on the historic mission of the congregation and the larger community to address the systemic evils that are the derivatives of Racism in America, and our current mission focus on advocating for all God’s creatures and creation, Little River UCC will host a multi-faceted series addressing the issues addressed in the 2015 Central Atlantic Conference (and General Synod 30) Resolution.

Join us at 4:00 pm in the sanctuary for the first session and learn about Virginia’s historic role in Jim Crow and how the New Jim Crow continues to affect persons of color. Virginia Delegate Vivian Watts will be joined by David Temple, who grew up in Richmond during Massive Resistance to school integration and has been deeply involved in shaping educational opportunities for black youth. Dinner and further discussion will follow the panel’s presentations with a time to brainstorm next steps.

Neighbors in Need Special Offering

Sunday, October 2

Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. NIN will be collected along with our regular offering on October 2. Gifts to the NIN collection should be placed in the special offering envelope or be made by check labeled NIN in the memo line. Donations may also be made online by using the Online Giving.

Little River UCC Meditation Group Meeting

Sunday, October 2

Please join us on Sunday, October 2 at 9:00 am in the Jubilee Room as we explore Meditation as a contemplative practice that helps to quiet the mind. We will have a brief guided meditation followed by sharing about the experience.

Questions? Please contact
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or
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.

Pastor David’s Class on Process Theology

Wednesday, October 5

Pastor David will be teaching a class on the first Wednesday of every month, starting in October and ending in June. The class is a 9-part series on process theology, one of the major threads of progressive Christianity. Process theology examines Christian belief in light of the scientific, mathematical, and philosophical advancements over the past century. Classes will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in Room 8, starting on October 5 when we will have an overview of the topic. Each month after that will focus on a specific aspect of Christian belief; we'll discuss God on November 2, Jesus on December 7, and so on. Bring your beliefs, bring your doubts — and bring a friend!

"Talking White Privilege"

Sunday, October 9

Beginning Sunday, October 9 at 9:00 am David Roach will begin this Adult Education program designed to invite members to engage in safe, meaningful, substantive and bold conversations on race. “It is time that this still largely white denomination wrestle with its investment in whiteness, and learn all it can about the manifestations and impact of White Privilege," said the Rev. John Dorhauer, UCC general minister and president. The curriculum will lead participants through four areas of focus: telling the story of your spiritual journey through the lens of race; looking at the dynamic of a culture in which whiteness is the established norm; learning how America attaches a cash value to whiteness; and inviting the participants to commit to becoming an ally in the pursuit of racial equity.

At the present time other dates are scheduled for November 6 and December 4. Lessons will be continued in the new year of 2017. We hope to see you there.

Congregational Meetings

Sunday, October 16 & 23

Mark your calendars now to be sure you can join us for the Congregational Meetings on Sunday, October 16 & 23 following the morning worship.

On the 16th, we’ll begin with a light lunch and then start the program at 11:45 am and end by 3:00 pm. This is an exciting time in the life of our church! We will be sending out Dr. Claire Bamberg's initial written report 10 days prior to the meeting for you to review. Then on the 16th she will answer questions, guide discussion and help us consider options and choice points for our church, moving forward. There will be a survey (non-binding, and, providing guidance to Council) in which you will be asked to register your opinion with regards to which options you would like to see the church exercise. A recording will be made of the meeting for those who cannot attend, and, surveys will be available from the church office, for those who wish to watch the recording and register their opinion.

On October 23 we will discuss the 2017 budget, vote on an Amendment to the Endowment Fund plan, and vote on the current pastoral housing fund. A light lunch will be served.

Childcare will be provided for children up to age 10 at both meetings.

More Church News

NOVA Pride Festival

The 3rd annual NOVA Pride Festival will be held at the Bull Run Special Events Center on Saturday, October 1 from 12:00-8:00 pm. The festival will open with a multi-faith pride celebration service. This is a family-friendly event with a variety of activities and entertainment throughout the day. Little River UCC will not be hosting a booth at the festival this year, but encourages all those interested in attending to participate. More details about the festival are available at: http://www.novapride.org/festival2016/.

Front Office Volunteers – We Need You!

Volunteers are needed to work in the church office during the week of October 11-14. If you have light computer skills, experience answering phones, filing, and other light office duties, please contact
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via email or phone (703) 978-3060. We are looking for volunteers for morning and afternoon shifts.

Service of Ordination and Installation for Melissa McQueen

Many of you will remember Melissa McQueen, a Beckwith scholar who has preached in our pulpit on a few occasions (most recently October 2014). We are pleased to announce that she is being ordained! You are therefore cordially invited to the Ordination and Installation of Melissa McQueen as pastor and teacher serving Many Voices: A Black Church Movement for Gay and Transgender Justice. The service takes place on Sunday, October 9 at 3:00 pm at Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ (3845 S. Capitol Street SW, Washington, DC 20032). A reception will immediately follow the Service of Installation.

VOICE Assembly: Deliver the Promise

The Board of Outreach and Social Justice would like to encourage you to attend VOICE’s (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) meeting on Sunday, October 16 from 3:30-5:30 pm at Oakton High School (2900 Sutton Road, Vienna, VA 22181). State and local officials will address concerns about schools, housing, safety and community in Northern Virginia. This is an opportunity for you to stand with your neighbors and demand a more just Northern Virginia. For more detailed information please see their information online.

Potomac Association Fall Meeting

The Official Call to The Potomac Association 2016 Fall Meeting has been released and all are welcome to attend. The meeting will take place at Rockville United Church in Rockville, MD on Saturday, October 29 from 8:30 am - 1:00 pm. See all the important details here.

It’s Not Too Early to Start Thinking about Advent

The Board of Deacons is going green for the Advent FunShops this year! We need items such as corks, buttons, yarn, wooden spoons, etc. You can find a complete list of items on the bulletin boards in the Social Hall and here. Please review the list and consider gathering up any of the various items that you might have stashed away and bringing them to church. Please do not purchase anything, but bring what you might have around the house. You can deposit it in the container in the atrium, and Lorri Jones will collect the items each week. Thanks in advance for all your donations!

Volunteer for General Synod 2017 in Baltimore

At least 500 volunteers are needed to greet the wider church at the United Church of Christ General Synod (June 2017) in Baltimore. Let’s help the Central Atlantic Conference share in the extravagant welcome of the Conference. Register today at: http://bit.ly/Synod2017. In November volunteers will be able to register for the General Synod, but at a greatly reduced rate.

Church Council News

Little River UCC Committee Meeting Updates

Endowment Fund Committee (July 13, 2016): At its quarterly meeting, members were delighted to learn that ten years after establishment of the Fund, total contributions as of June 30 had reached $257,232, putting the Fund over the threshold of $250,000 to enable disbursements. Second quarter contributions were $23,100, including a $10,000 bequest from the estate of Eleanor Wulff and many gifts from the congregation in response to a $4,000 challenge grant. The market value of the Fund on June 30 was $360,000. An amendment will be presented at the next congregational meeting to correct an error in the Endowment Fund Policy that would have drastically limited disbursements, after which some $12,000 will become available for 2017, per guidelines contained in the Policy.

Finance Committee (June 20, 2016): The Finance Committee meeting on June 20 discussed several recent financial situations that have occurred to clarify how they were being handled. We also discussed preliminary comments received regarding draft policies. One such proposed policy, on paying members of the congregation for services rendered to LRUCC, has been circulated to church leaders for comment. It notes that since Little River UCC is sustained largely by the active voluntary participation of the congregation, it is the exception to pay members for services provided to the church and requires that any such exceptions have the prior approval of the Governance Board. A full statement of the draft policy and the supporting discussion is available here. This proposed policy will be submitted to the Governance Board for approval in the next few months. Any comments on this draft policy can be submitted to the
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. Next meeting will be August 3.

Personnel Committee (June 22, 2016): The Personnel Committee continues to tweak language of the Employee Handbook as needed; is working on a charter for Governance Board approval; and has begun drafting a "How-To" manual for the committee's work. The committee also continues advising David Lindsey on position descriptions and personnel issues.

Women’s Ministry met in the conference room and discussed the following:Our mission statement was discussed. We changed several words to bring it up to date.We discussed the Spiral Walk to be held on Dec. 4th at 5:00 PM in the Sanctuary. The jobs for making it happen were divided up among the members.The Book Group that we sponsor was discussed. Rachel Smith is the coordinator for gathering book titles and summaries of books from interested people. If you have a book title and summary of a book send it to her. It will be put on the list and voted upon by email. Her email address is
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. The Book Group meets on the second Sunday of the odd months from 11:30-1:30 in room 7. November on the 6th we will be cosponsoring a discussion with Sacred Conversation on Race on the book “America’s Original Sin” by Jim Wallis. This will be done during the luncheon following church. The discussion will be on Chapters 5 and 6. On January 8th WM will have a Poetry Discussion given by Jennifer Atkinson. It will be from 11:30-1:30 in room 7.There will be a Tea and Talk in Feb. At that gathering, Covenant Groups will be formed. It is time to meet people and discuss how these groups meet on their own. Our next meeting is October 27, Thursday at 10 AM in the conference room. Facilitator for this meeting was Bunny Jones.

Full minutes of Church Council, Governance Board, and Ministry Board meetings are posted on this webpage. Vision and Governance Power Point Presentation (Originally presented in the December 2015 town hall meetings.)